The Los Angeles Rams continue to draw strong takes that the 2026 season could be a big one for second-year tight end Terrance Ferguson.
Used sparingly as a rookie, Ferguson’s skill set still shined through as he finished with 11 receptions for 231 yards and 3 touchdowns. He ranked third among all players, not just tight ends, in yards per reception among those with at least as many as he had, per Stathead.
That experience may have laid the groundwork for him to get out to a fast start in Year 2.
Terrance Ferguson Picked as Rams’ ‘Breakout Player’
GettyTerrance Ferguson continues to be a source of intrigue for the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams traded out of the first round in the 2025 draft, making Ferguson their first selection and a polarizing one at that, given the makeup of the roster at the time. Those deficiencies bit the Rams in the end, and they addressed them this offseason.
However, after he showed flashes as a rookie, Ferguson has been selected as the Rams’ “breakout player” for the 2026 season by The Athletic’s Nate Atkins.
“The Rams spent their top draft pick a year ago on a tight end they were mostly planning to stash for a breakout this season,” Atkins wrote on July 13, noting them myriad factors that contributed to his slow start in 2025. “Los Angeles found a way to insulate him by midseason by running two- and three-tight end sets at the highest rate in the league.”
“Ferguson saw a second-half breakout where he caught 10 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns over the final 10 games. His 21 yards per catch would have ranked second in the NFL last season on large volume, and though it’ll likely come down with a boost in volume this season, Ferguson should be very difficult for defenses to account for with the attention they have to give to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.”
The Rams failed to add any veteran receivers this offseason.
That has left them largely unproven behind Adams and Nacua, both of whom missed at least one game last season, potential setting Ferguson up to continue down the path he began on as a rookie in 2025.
Terrance Ferguson Drew Rave Reviews During Offseason
GettyTerrance Ferguson could take on an expanded role in the Los Angeles Rams’ offense.
This has been a consistent theme for Atkins, who noted Ferguson’s “hybrid” role as a rookie.
“When his role expanded down the stretch, it was notable that it looked more like a replacement version of Tutu Atwell than the Rams’ more traditional tight ends like Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen,” Atkins wrote in June.
“He was a seam stretcher in an offense that was living in two- and three-tight-end sets. He was basically a tight end and wide receiver hybrid.”
Ferguson continued to impress Rams coaches this spring.
“Ferguson, a second-year tight end, is part of a crowded position group, including rookie second-round pick Max Klare,” Barshop wrote on June 22. “But several people in the Rams’ building have pointed to Ferguson as a player they think will take a big step forward in Year 2.”
Klare’s outlook has been polarized, and would further cloud Ferguson’s, but none of the Rams’ other tight ends possess his combination of size and athleticism.
Ferguson could prove to be the Rams’ X factor in 2026.
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